AfriForum warns against extremely high fire danger conditions; can result in damage and death

AfriForum warns against an extremely high fire danger in the northern part of the country which is now in its dry season. Provinces affected are Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. This is due to the high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds that are predicted for the coming weeks up to and including the first good rainfall. Wildfires in Gauteng, North West and the Free State have already destroyed thousands of hectares of pasture, houses and agricultural implements and infrastructure in the past three weeks. Farmers and workers were injured or killed and thousands of livestock burned to death.

“This year’s wildfires are much worse than the previous year as the grass is extremely dry, the daytime temperatures are warmer than average and strong winds fuel the fires. Wildfires are the most dangerous fires because they are unpredictable and fast due to the wind that can suddenly change direction and the heat given off by the fire is very hot. The progress of such a fire can exceed 4 km per hour and therefore people and animals cannot run away from a wildfire. It is therefore safer to stay as far as possible in the already burnt section when the fire is being extinguished,” says Tarien Cooks, Disaster Management Specialist for AfriForum.

Unlike structural fires that are confined to buildings or specific areas, wildfires can spread quickly across vast landscapes fuelled by dry vegetation, strong winds and varying topography. This combination creates a dynamic environment where conditions can change in an instant and firefighters often become trapped. Due to unfavourable weather conditions, it is often necessary to wait for the weather to change to put out large fires.

According to AfriForum, there are particularly big challenges with wildfires in rural communities. Most of the fires can be attributed to a trend of malicious arson, landowners not having permission to burn, hunters starting a wildfire to hunt with dogs and ash pits being burned.